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I am a person with diabetes type 2 and write about my experiences and research. Please discuss medical problems with your doctor. Please do not click on the advertisers that have attached to certain words in this section. They are not authorized and are robbing me by doing so.

July 12, 2016

More about a Few Emails

Several people were asking me about the
diabetes service dogs and how soon there would be a device that could do what the dog could do. I admit I told them that a device could be
developed, but most people may not know to use it when they don't
feel the symptoms.

I told them that a device could be
great, but if a person did not recognize the symptoms, how would they
know to test with a device. I stated that many people with type 1
diabetes do become hypoglycemia unaware at different times when they
have had too many episodes of hypoglycemia in a short period of time.
Some may opt for the device, depending on the cost, while others
will remain with the dogs because of the companionship.

A properly trained dog and an owner
that knows how to reinforce the training can be an unbeatable team.
This also raises the question of how much the device will cost. Will
they make the device as expensive as a dog? This has entered the
thoughts of many people and many are questioning this.

I have received several emails asking
me why people want to keep diabetes a secret. I must admit that this
is a puzzle for me as well, but some people have had close family
members keep health secrets from them and they just assume this is
the way to live. Some may have had friends diagnosed with diabetes
and see the stigma that comes with this and decide they don't want to
let others know about their diabetes.

One person said he was taught a
valuable lesson while at work when he collapsed from hypoglycemia and
another person with type 1 diabetes went to his locker, found some
insulin and testing supplies, and told the ambulance people that he
has diabetes. They tested his blood glucose and after a reading of
32 mg/dl, added a container of glucose to his IV. When he came to
in the hospital and the doctor told him how close to death he came,
he decided after hearing the details, he needed to tell others about
his diabetes.

I am surprised at the disagreements
with use of Epsom salts and soaking your feet in them. One writer
said she has been doing this for about a decade and has had no
ill-effects from soaking her feet. The next person said he wished
someone had said something sooner as he was having problems with
severely dry feet. The only thing I could question was the amount of Epsom salts that had been used to the amount of water, and the length
of time they soaked their feet. The woman was using a quarter cup of
Epsom Salt to a gallon of water and soaking her feet for five
minutes. The man was using a full cup of Epsom Salt to a gallon of
water and soaking his feet for 30 minutes. I cannot say this is the
cause, but this makes one curious about other causes.

There were several emails thanking me
for the parent and teen guidelines for treating young people.
Several complained about the lack of doctor concern for sanitation by
not washing their hands between patients or wearing latex gloves and
changing between patients. The second complaint was lack of
communication with the patient and the parents. Many got the feeling
that the less they knew, the less they could put in a lawsuit and
this was the aim of the doctor.

I had a big surprise on this blog from March 17, 2013 as people that were having problems with their meal
plans that they were following from the ADA and Joslin Diabetes.
When they found this blog, it answered several questions, but left
them wondering what to eat to lose weight and better manage their
diabetes.

This has created an interesting
discussion and most were opposed to increasing their fat consumption
and lowering their carbohydrate consumption below certain levels. I
agreed that they should work toward that goal, but they should work
to lower their carbohydrate consumption below 50 grams per day. Most
were hesitant to be that low, but were willing to work to be below
100 grams. I am still encouraging them to increase their fat
consumption, but this will take some time and they have had the low
fat dogma ingrained in them for too many years.

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About Me

I am enjoying life, despite diabetes type 2. I am retired and enjoying the time I have for writing and photography. I was diagnosed with type 2 on Oct 2003, on oral meds for 4 months and they were doing nothing to really improve my daily readings. By cutting my carbohydrates I received the most improvement, but still not enough. Then I requested insulin, even though I did not like the thought of needles. That brought about the biggest change and A1c's in the lower 6's and upper 5's. Now I am working at maintaining them under 6.0 and hopefully nearer 5.5.